23rd February, on this day


303 Emperor Diocletian orders general persecution of Christians
1255 Battle of Montebruno Astigiani defeats Thomas II of Savoy
1447 Pope Eugene IV ends reign as pope
1455 Johannes Gutenberg prints 1st book, the Bible (estimated date)
1574 France begins 5th Holy War against Huguenots
1660 Charles XI becomes king of Sweden
1668 Fire in Wiener Hofburg in Vienna, emperor Leopold I rescued
1672 Joan Blaeus publishers destroyed by fire in Amsterdam
1778 Baron von Steuben joins the Continental Army at Valley Forge
1792 Joseph Haydn's 94th Symphony in G, premieres
1804 Conspirators against Napoleon, call for restoration of Louis XVIII
1813 1st US raw cotton-to-cloth mill founded in Waltham, MA
1820 British police uncover 'The Cato Street Conspiracy' to assassinate several Cabinet ministers. All those found guilty are executed
1822 Boston, US is incorporated as a city
1836 In America, the beginning of the seige of the Alamo; entire garrison eventually killed
1846 Polish revolutionaries march on Cracow, but are defeated
1847 Battle of Buena Vista, México; Zachary Taylor defeats Mexicans
1852 "H M S Birkenhead" sinks off South Africa killing 420 troops
1854 Great-Britain and Orange Free state sign Convention of Bloemfontein
1861 By popular referendum, Texas becomes 7th state to secede from US
1861 President-elect Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington DC to take office
1863 British explorers John Speke and J A Grant announce they have discovered the source of the River Nile in Africa
1870 Mississippi is re-admitted to US
1874 Major Walter Winfield patents game called "sphairistike" (lawn tennis)
1883 American Anti-Vivisection Society organized (Philadelphia)
1886 Aluminum manufacturing process developed
1886 London Times publishes world's 1st classified ad
1887 French/Italian Riviera struck by Earthquake; 2,000 die
1896 Tootsie Roll introduced by Leo Hirshfield
1898 In France, Emile Zola is imprisoned for writing his "J'accuse" letter accusing government of anti-Semitism and wrongly jailing Alfred Dreyfus
1900 Steamer "Rio de Janeiro" sinks in San Francisco Bay
1900 Battle at Hart's Hill, South-Africa (Boers vs British army)
1903 Cuban state of Guantanamo leased to USA
1904 Control of Panamá Canal Zone acquired by US for $10 million
1905 Rotary Club International established by 4 men in Chicago
1909 The AEA Silver Dart makes the first powered flight in Canada and the British Empire.
1909 Russian tsar Nicolas II dissolves Finnish Diet
1910 1st radio contest held (Philadelphia)
1910 George Bernard Shaw's "Misalliance" premieres in London
1915 Germany sinks US ships Carib and Evelyn and torpedoes Norwegian ship Regin
1915 Nevada enforces convenient divorce law
1915 French actress Sarah Bernhardt has her right leg amputated after falling badly during a performance. She is back on stage by November
1916 French artillery kills entire French 72nd division at Samogneux Verdun
1917 February revolution begins in Russia
1919 Benito Mussolini founds the Facist party of Italy
1920 The first regular broadcasting service in Britain starts from Marconi's studio in Chelmsford
1921 1st US transcontinental air mail flight arrives in New York NY from San Francisco
1923 German Republic day with laws against worker
1923 Great Britain lowers import duty on German products from 26% to 5%
1927 President Coolidge creates Federal Radio Commission (FCC predecessor)
1934 Coronation of King Leopold III of Belgium
1936 1st rocket air mail flight, Greenwood Lake, NY
1940 Russians lay down strict requirements for a peace treaty with Finland, including the surrender of significant geographical territories.
1940 Russian troops conquer Lasi Island
1940 Walt Disney's animated movie "Pinocchio", released
1941 Plutonium was first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.
1942 A Japanese submarine (I-17) makes the first attack on the American mainland by shelling an oil refinery at Ellwood, California.
1943 General-Major Bradley arrives in Dakar and Marrakesh
1943 German troops pull back through Kasserine-pass Tunisia
1944 forced deportation of the Chechen and Ingush people to Central Asia
1944 Battle of Eniwetok ends
1944 US Navy planes attack the Mariana Islands of Saipan, Guam, Tinian.
1945 US Marines raise flag on Iwo Jima, famous photo and statue
1945 2nd Dutch government of Gerbrandy forms in London
1945 Canadian troops occupy Kalkar
1945 Raid at Los Baños one of the most successful rescue operations in modern military history.Liberation of 2,147 Allied civilian and military internees
1945 Operation Grenade General Simpson's 9th Army crosses Ruhr
1947 General Eisenhower opens drive to raise $170 million in aid for European Jews
1953 In Britain, an amnesty offered to World War II deserters brings in applications from more than 3000 servicemen
1954 1st mass inoculation with Salk vaccine (Pittsburgh)
1954 Syrian army drives out President Adib el-Shishakli
1955 Edgar Faure forms French government
1956 Russian party leader Khrushchev attacks memory of Stalin
1958 5-time world driving champion Juan Fangio kidnapped by Cuban rebels
1958 Last Municipal arc light, Mission and 25th removed (installed in 1913)
1958 Arturo Frondizi elected President of Argentina
1958 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1962 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1966 Aldo Moro forms Italian government
1966 Military coup in Syria ends Bitar government
1966 Premier Obote grabs power in Uganda
1967 US troops begin largest offensive of Vietnam War
1969 Nayif Hawatimah forms Democratic People's Front for Liberation of Palestine
1970 Guyana becomes a republic
1970 Holy Eucharist given by women for 1st time in Roman Catholic service
1971 George Harrison is fined and his driving license is suspended for 1 year as a result of several speeding tickets and a dispute with the police
1971 Lieutenant Calley confesses and implicates Captain Medina
1979 Frank Peterson Jr named 1st black general in Marine Corps
1980 Oil tanker explosion off Pilos, Greece, causes 37-million-gallon spill
1980 13th Winter Olympics games close at Lake Placid NY
1980 France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island
1981 People magazine features drug ordeal of Mackenzie and Papa John Phillips
1981 Spanish coup under Lieutenant-Colonel Antonio Tejero Molina fails
1986 Queen Elizabeth II is hit by several eggs thrown from the crowd during her visit to New Zealand
1987 Supernova 1987A in LMC 1st seen; 1st naked-eye supernova since 1604
1987 Russian Writers Union accepts Boris Pasternak posthumous as member
1988 15th Winter Olympics games opens in Calgary, Alberta
1990 Prince Sihanouk returns to Cambodia after 11 years in exile
1991 US insists Iraq publicly announce it is leaving Kuwait by 12 PM EST
1991 Military coup in Thailand, Premier Choonhaven arrested
1992 16th Winter Olympics games close in Albertville, France
1993 Rallying behind red flags and portraits of Lenin, more than 10,000 procommunists march to the Kremlin to denounce President Yeltsin
1995 Antoine Nduwayo appointed Premier of Burundi
1997 Ali Abu Kamal opens fire in Empire State Building and kills 1
1997 NBC TV shows "Schindler's List", completely uncensored, 65 million watch
1997 Scientists in Scotland announced they succeeded in cloning an adult mammal, producing a lamb named "Dolly"
1998 Supreme Court lets Megan's Law stand
1998 Tornadoes in Florida kills at least 31
1998 Osama bin Laden publishes a fatwa declaring jihad against all Jews and Crusaders.
1999 Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Öcalan is charged with treason in Ankara, Turkey.
1999 An avalanche destroys the Austrian village of Galtür, killing 31.
2005 Slovakia Summit 2005 begins, marking the first occasion when a sitting American President visits Slovakia; Bush and Putin are in attendance.
2005 Vote of the controversial French law on colonialism, repealed start of 2006.
2006 Dubai Ports World agrees to postpone its plans to take over management of six U.S. ports after the proposal ignited harsh bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill.
2007 A train derails on an evening express service near Grayrigg, Cumbria, United Kingdom, killing one person and injuring 22. This results in hundreds of points being checked over the UK after a few similar accidents

23rd February 2006

Scores die amid Iraqi shrine fury

Moscow roof collapse kills 49

White House admits Katrina flaws

23rd February 2007

N Korea 'invites UN nuclear head'

Afghan warlords in amnesty rally

Iran leader vows nuclear defiance

23rd February 2008

Iraq warns Turkey over incursion

Sri Lanka bus bombi injures 18

US stealth bomber crashes on Guam

23rd February 2009

Scores of Zimbabwe farms 'seized'

US shares at nearly 12 year low

Indian joy at Oscar night glory

23rd February 2010

US-free Americas bloc planned

Bangalore office building fire kills 9

Indonesia landslide 'kills 5'

Birthdates which occurred on 23rd February :

1417 Paul II [Pietro Barbo], Italy, Pope (1464-71)
1614 Jacob Colijn(s) Dutch coat of arms painter
1615 Cornelis Galle II Flemish engraver/illustrator, baptised
1633 Samuel Pepys London England, navy expert/composer (Diary, Memoirs)
1649 John Blow composer of 1st English opera (Venus & Adonis) (baptized)
1685 George Frideric Händel Halle Germany, organist/baroque composer (Messiah)
1700 Wilhelmus Schortinghuis Dutch theologist (Profound Christianity)
1730 Christian Joseph Lidarti composer
1734 Mayer Amschel Rothschild Frankfurt, founder (House of Rothschild)
1776 John Walter II London, chief proprietor (The London Times, 1812-47)
1787 Emma Willard US, opens school for young ladies (Hall of Fame)
1792 Istvan Ferenczi Hungarian sculptor
1811 George Washington Hewitt composer
1817 George Watts London, painter
1818 Major General Jeremy F Gilmer General/Chief Engineer Confederate War Department
1824 Herman N van der Tuuk Dutch philologist (Tobasch' Grammar)
1824 Lewis Cass Hunt Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1886
1831 Hendrik W Mesdag Dutch painter (Panorama Mesdag)
1834 Gustav Hermann Nachtigal German physician/colonizer/consul in Tunisia
1838 Gilbert Moxley Sorrel Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1901
1840 Carl Menger Austrian economist
1848 Thomas Paine Westendorf composer
1859 Theodor Batthyányi Hungarian statesman/contra revolutionary
1863 Franz von Stuck German painter (Der Krieg)
1865 Barney Dreyfuss baseball owner (Pittsburgh Pirates)
1868 William E B Du Bois Great Barrington MA, civil rights writer (Souls of Black Folk)
1869 Nadezhda Konstantinova Krupskaya Russian revolutionary (Social-Democrat)
1873 Dmitri Arakishvili composer
1874 Konstantin Päts Estonian PM (1921-23, 1932-33), dictator (1933-40)
1875 Jozef E Stokvis journalist/Dutch MP (SDAP)
1876 Agnes M Royden writer
1876 Wadi' Sabra composer
1879 Agnes Arber English biologist/philosopher (Mind & the Eye)
1879 Norman Lindsay Creswick Victoria, artist/novelist
1880 Edgar Istel composer
1881 Titus [Anno S] Brandsma Dutch philosopher
1882 Ladislav Vycpalek composer
1883 Victor Fleming Pasadena CA, director (Wizard of Oz, Gone With Wind)
1883 Karl Jaspers Oldenburg Germany, existentialist philosopher
1884 Frank Cellier Surbiton England, actor (Quiet Wedding, Big Blockade)
1884 Herman Courtens Belgian painter
1886 Albert Edward Sammons composer
1886 Ventura García Calderón Peruvian diplomat/author
1887 Oskar Frederik Lindberg composer
1889 Cyril Delevanti England, actor (Lucius-Jefferson Davis, Black Eye)
1889 Frederik M baron of Asbeck Dutch lawyer (League of Nations)
1892 Kathleen Harrison actress (Fast Lady, Big Money, West 11)
1895 Richard Goolden London England, actor (School for Husbands)
1898 Reinhard Herbig German archaeologist
1899 E Langgässer writer
1899 Erich Kästner Dresden German author (Emil & the Detective)
19-- Catherine Larson actress (Ryan's Hope)
1900 Elinor Remick Warren composer
1901 Aartje W "Mien" van It Sant-van Bommel author (Mieke-serial)
1903 Grigori V Aleksandrov Russian director (Veselye Rebjata)
1904 William L Shirer historian (Rise & Fall of 3rd Reich)
1904 Leopold Trepper Polish/Israeli spy/founded (CP Palestina)
1905 Leonidas Zoras composer
1907 Anthony Standerwick Heal businessman
1908 Sir William McMahon PM of Australia (Liberal) (1971-72)
1909 Frank Ward cricketer (Australian leggie late 30s)
1911 G Mennen Williams Detroit MI, Sup Court Justice/(Governor-D-MI, 1949-60)
1911 Walter Ernest Allen writer/critic
1913 Charles Leonard US, pentathlete (Olympics-1936)
1913 Earl of Lincoln
1914 Margaret Farrer CEO (Central Midwives Board)
1915 Heinrich Schirmbeck German author (Das Spiegellabyrinth)
1916 George Abel Canada, ice hockey player (Olympics-gold-1972)
1916 Martindale Sidwell organist/conductor
1916 William Walsh academic
1917 Kenneth Tobey actor (Chuck-Whirlybirds)
1918 Dom Aelred Watkin headmaster (Downside School)
1919 Johnny Carey soccer star
1919 Lord Ezra
1920 Hall Overton Bangor MI, composer (Enchanted Pear Tree)
1920 David Wright poet
1920 Lord St Levan
1923 Gery Florizoone Flemish poet
1924 Lejaren Hiller composer
1925 Ian Smith cricket leg-spinner (South Africa 1947-58 average 64.08)
1925 Louis Stokes (Representative-D-OH, 1969- )
1926 Regine Crespin French vocalist (Sheherazade, Les Nuits D'ete)
1927 Ivan Hrusovsky composer
1928 Duke of Beaufort
1928 Vasily Grigoryevich Lazarev Siberia USSR, cosmonaut (Soyuz 12, 18A)
1929 Elston Howard Yankee catcher (1st black New York Yankee/1963 AL MVP)
1929 Eduard W "Ed" Bauer [Eddy Evers], Dutch actor (Bluejackets)
1929 Régine Crespin Marseilles France, operatic soprano
1929 Richard Moryl composer
1930 Harry Boldt German Federal Republic, equestrian dressage (Olympics-gold-1976)
1930 Johnny Seven New York NY, actor (Ironside, Amy Prentiss)
1930 Gerry Davis writer
1930 Imre Gyongyossy film Maker
1930 Jef Geeraerts Flemish writer (Black Venus)
1931 Tom Wesselman US sculptor (Great American Nudes)
1933 Donna J Stone poet
1933 Lee Quencey Calhoun Laurel MS, 110 meter hurdler (Olympics-gold-1956, 60)
1934 Lady Digby
1937 David Ward president (Law Society)
1937 Lord Tugendhat
1937 Tom Osborne college football coach
1938 Diane Varsi San Mateo CA, actress (Peyton Place)
1938 Sylvia Chase St Paul MN, newscaster (ABC Weekend News, 20/20)
1939 Josef Feistmantl Austria, lugeist (Olympics-gold-1964)
1939 Majel Barrett Columbus OH, actress (Christine Chapel-Star Trek)
1939 Edmund Boyd Fisher publisher
1940 Peter Fonda actor (Easy Rider, Lilith, Wild Angels, Trip)
1940 Jermyn P Brooks CEO (Price Waterhouse Europe)
1941 William Hjörtsberg New York NY, writer (Gray Matters, Fallen Angel)
1941 Frank Gerstenberg Edinburgh, principal (George Watson's College)
1941 Robin Bynoe cricketer (West Indies opening batsman in 4 Tests 1959-67)
1942 Beau Boulter (Representative-R-TX, 1985- )
1942 Colin Sanders founder (Solid State Logic)
1942 John Lewis Head Master (Eton College)
1943 Fred Biletnikoff NFL wide receiver (Oakland Raiders)
1943 Jada Rowland New York NY, actress (Penny-Hamptons, Amy-Secret Storm)
1943 Bobby Wayne Mitchell Chatham VA, PGA golfer (1971 Cleveland Open)
1944 Johnny Winter [John Dawson], Leland MS, guitarist (Silver Train)
1944 James Cousins British MP
1944 Mike Maxfield rocker (Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas)
1945 Frank Murray police Officer
1946 Rusty Young California, rock steel guitarist (Poco-Heat of the Night)
1947 Anton Mosimann chef
1947 Colin Sanders British computer engineer (Solid State Logic)
1947 Geoff Cope cricketer (England off-spinner 1977-78)
1947 Shakira Caine Guyana, actress (Man Who be King)/Miss Guyana (1967)
1948 Bill Alexander theatre director
1949 Anna-Maria Müller German DR, Luge (Olympics-gold-1972)
1949 Larry Demps US R&B vocalist (Dramatics-Me & Mrs Jones)
1949 Marc Garneau Québec City Canada, PhD/astronaut (STS 13, 77)
1949 Maureen Hicks British MP
1949 Terry "Tex" Comer Burnley Lancashire England, bassist/guitarist (Ace-How Long)
1950 Neil Jordan Sligo Ireland, novelist (Dream of a Beast, Past)
1950 Steve Priest London, rock bassist (Sweet Hayes)
1951 Ed "Too Tall" Jones NFL linebacker (Dallas Cowboys)
1951 Nicholas Kenyon controller (BBC Radio 3)
1951 Patricia Richardson Bethesda MD, actress (Home Improvement, Double Trouble)
1952 Brad Whitford Massachusetts, rock guitarist (Aerosmith-Jamie Got a Gun)
1953 Sallie L Baliunas astrophysicist
1955 Howard Jones rock pianist/vocalist (Things Can Only Get Better)
1956 Maren Jensen Glendale CA, actress (Battlestar Galactica)
1958 David Sylvian vocal/guitar (Sylvian Sylvian, Japan-Adolescent Sex)
1958 Lorraine Michaels Canterbury England, playmate (April, 1981)
1958 Ria Brieffies Dutch vocalist (Dolly Dots)
1959 John Arthur Wilson Ceres CA, PGA golfer (1994 Anheuser-Busch-4th)
1960 Cindy Figg-Currier Mt Pleasant MI, golfer (1994 British Open-6th)
1960 Gloria von Thurm un Taxis Munich German Federal Republic, Princess
1960 Maria Gloria von Schönberg-Glauchau wife of prince Thurn un Taxis
1960 Naruhito crown prince of Japan
1962 Melinda Mays Augusta GA, playmate (February 1983)
1962 Michael Wilton rock guitarist (Queensrÿche-The Warning)
1963 Bobby Bonilla New York NY, outfielder (New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Marlins)
1963 Debbie Kruck Danbury CT, Ms Fitness USA (1994)
1963 Reza Abdoh theatre director
1963 Robert Collins keyboard player
1964 Byron Evans NFL linebacker (Philadelphia Eagles)
1964 Dana Katherine Scully fictional character (X-Files)
1964 John Norum rocker
1965 Helena Sukova Prague Czechoslovakia, tennis star (1985 US Open Women's Doubles)
1965 Kristin Davis actress (Melrose Place)
1965 Sylvie Guillem France, ballerina (Royal Ballet)
1966 Marc Price actor/comedian (Skippy-Family Ties)
1966 John Druce Peterborough, NHL right wing (Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings)
1967 Gord Murphy Willowdale, NHL defenseman (Florida Panthers)
1967 Pam Blundell fashion designer
1967 Steven C Stricker Edgerton WI, PGA golfer (1994 Northern Telecom-2nd)
1968 Stephanie Seymour San Diego CA, actress/model (Sunny Side Up)
1969 Ed McDaniel NFL linebacker (Minnesota Vikings)
1969 Michael Campbell Hawera New Zealand, Australasia golfer
1971 Jason Keller Scarsdale NY, actor (Jason-Out of the Blue)
1971 Shane Keller Scarsdale NY, actor (Shane-Out of the Blue)
1971 Carin Hjalmarsson Koch Kungalv Sweden, golfer (1995 Pinewild-7th)
1971 Torsten Kienass Berlin Germany, hockey defenseman (Team Germany)
1972 Greg Hill NFL running back (Kansas City Chiefs)
1972 Jamie Watson NBA forward (Utah Jazz)
1972 Ryan Grigson NFL guard/tackle (Detroit Lions)
1972 Steve Papin WLAF running back (Scotland Claymores)
1973 Robert Pipkins Staten Island NY, luger (Olympics-1994)
1974 Herschelle Gibbs cricketer (South African Test batsman 1996)
1974 Kenyon Cotton full back (Baltimore Ravens)
1975 Bohdan Utihrach Czechoslovakia, tennis star
1975 Chris Garner NBA guard (Toronto Raptors)
1975 Michael Tricario actor (Randy-Wonder Years)
1975 Pat Barnes quarterback (Kansas City Chiefs)
1976 Dmitriy Dudarev hockey forward (Team Kazakhstan Olympics-1998)
1976 Jeff O'Neill Richmond Hill, NHL center (Hartford Whalers)
1977 Angie Trostel Oxford OH, diver (Olympics-96)
1977 Dally Randriantefy Antananarivo Madag, tennis star (1993 Marseille)
1978 Karolina Rantamaki ice hockey left wing (Finland, Olympics-98)
1980 Yvonne Tousek Kitchener Ontario, gymnastic (Olympics-96)

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Deaths which occurred on February 23rd:
0155 Polycarp disciple of Apostle John, arrested & burned at stake
1447 Eugene IV [Gabriele Condulmer], Italian Pope (1431-47), dies
1468 John Gutenberg German inventor (boekdrukkunst), dies
1554 Henry Grey Duke of Suffolk, Lady Jane Grey's father, executed
1607 Herman Herbertsz vicar, dies at about 60
1660 Charles X Gustaaf king of Sweden (1654-60), dies at 37
1662 Johann Crüger German organist/composer/music theorist, dies at 63
1669 Lieuwe van Aitzema Frisian historian, dies at 68
1682 Abraham de Wicquefort Dutch diplomat/historian, dies at 75
1704 Georg Muffat French/German organist/composer, dies at 50
1718 François Fagel Dutch field marshal/mayor of Nimegen, dies at 63
1766 Stanislaw Leszcynski duke of Lutherans/king of Poland, dies
1792 Joshua Reynolds English portrait painter (Simplicity), dies at 68
1797 Antoine d'Auvergne French opera composer (Coquette Trompée), dies at 83
1806 John Alcock composer, dies at 90
1807 François Guichard composer, dies at 61
1821 John Keats Romantic poet, dies of tuberculosis at 25 in Rome
1821 Marie-Anne Collot French sculptor, dies
1828 Mihály Fazekar Hungarian botanist/literary (Book of Spices), dies
1848 John Quincy Adams 6th US President (1825-1829), dies of a stroke at 80
1855 Carl Friedrich Gauss mathematician, dies
1867 George Thomas Smart composer, dies at 90
1884 Tambo Tambo Australian aboriginal/US circus attraction, dies at 23
1897 Woldemar Bargiel composer, dies at 68
1900 William Butterfield architect of the Gothic revival, dies
1902 Samuel R Gardiner British historian (Oliver Cromwell), dies at 72
1903 Albert Cahen composer, dies at 57
1903 Friedrich Grutzmacher composer, dies at 70
1906 Johann Hoch US murderer, executed
1913 Jimmy Sinclair cricketer (3 centuries in 25 Test South Africa career), dies
1915 Robert Smalls Reconstruction congressman, dies at 75 in South Carolina
1916 George Clement Martin composer, dies at 71
1920 Alexander Alexandrovich Il'yinsky composer, dies at 61
1922 Henri Landru executed for having 11 wives, in France
1924 Thomas Woodrow Wilson 28th US President (1913-21), dies
1927 Sveinbjorn Sveinbjornsson composer, dies at 79
1930 Horst Wessel German Nazi lyricist (Fahne Hoch), dies at 22
1930 Mabel Normand actress/director (Extra Girl), dies at 35
1931 Nellie Melba [Helen Mitchell], Australian soprano, dies
1934 Augusto Sandino Nicaraguan patriot, assassinated by National Guard
1934 Edward William Elgar English composer (Coronation Ode), dies at 76
1935 Jan Duiker Dutch architect (Hotel Gooiland), dies at 44
1937 Claude Buckenham cricketer (21 wickets in 4 Tests for England 1909-10), dies
1942 Stefan Zweig Austrian writer (Die Welt von Gestern), dies at 60
1944 Leo Hendrick Baekeland inventor (Bakelite), dies
1945 Aleksei Tolstoi Russian poet/writer (Pjotr Peroyj), dies at 62
1945 Aubrey Cousins Canadian sergeant (Victoria Cross), dies in battle
1955 Paul Claudel French poet/playwright (L'otage), dies at 86
1961 Wilf Ferguson cricket leg spinner (34 wickets for West Indies), dies
1965 Stan Laurel comedian (Laurel & Hardy), dies in California of heart attack at 74
1968 Edna Ferber US author (Giant, Showboat), dies at 80
1968 Fannie Hurst US author (Anatomy of Me), dies at 78
1969 Abd al-Aziz Abd al-Rahman al-Faisal al-Saud King Saudia, dies at 67
1969 Joseph Messner composer, dies at 75
1971 King Lockwood dies of stroke at 73
1972 Michael Taube composer, dies at 81
1974 Florence Rice actress (Girl in 1313, Carnival), dies at 63
1976 Fuzzy Knight actor (Gun Town, Ragtime Cowboy Joe), dies at 74
1976 L S Lowry painter, dies
1980 Robert Vandekerckhove Belgian politician, dies at 62
1983 Adrian Boult conductor, dies
1985 Alexander Scourby actor (Jesus, Shaggy Dog, Giant), dies at 71
1987 Esmond Knight actor (Black Narcissus, Henry V), dies at 80
1990 Annelien Kappeyne van de Coppello Dutch MP (Liberal), dies at 53
1990 James Gavin commandant US 82nd Airborn Division (Normandy), dies at 82
1990 Jose Napoleon Duarte President of Salvador (1984-89), dies at 62
1992 Jacquelyn Hyde actress (Dark, House of Terror), dies at 61
1992 Markos Vafiades leader (ELAS, 1943-49), dies
1993 Edwin Louis Battle actor (Almost Blue, Chase), dies of stroke at 33
1994 Stuart Berger doctor (Immune Power Diet), dies from obesity at 40
1995 Art Kane photographer, dies at 69
1995 David Melvin English Franklin singer, dies at 52
1995 James Herriot Scot author (All Creatures Great & Small), dies at 78
1995 Norman Hunter writer, dies at 95
1995 Peter Guy Wykeham Fighter Pilot-Barnes dies at 79
1996 Freddie Stocks cricket (center on debut & wicket on 1st ball, Notts), dies
1996 George Alan Dawson jazz drummer/teacher, dies at 66
1996 Joseph Walker Barr banker/politician, dies at 78
1997 Oscar Lewenstein impressario, dies at 80
1997 Tony Williams jazz musician, dies at 51
1998 Philip Abbott actor (Arthur Ward-FBI), dies at 74


Golden Link 1/ On this day 23rd February

Golden Link 2/ On this day 23rd February

Golden Link 3/ On this day 23rd February